It may have been telling when Kevin McHale said twice on Wednesday “when Omer gets back.”

The coach kept the same stance on Thursday: “I thought he would be here the whole time. His knee is bothering him. He is seeing another doctor today. I think we are going to get over the hump on that and then we can get him back in the rotation and he is a big part of what we do and he can be a huge part of our success.”

Asik was at the Rockets practice today although he was in sweats and working with the trainers.

The Celtics had been considered the front-runner in the “auction” for Asik as one individual in the the trade talks described the market.

Boston’s original offer had been for forward Brandon Bass, guard Courtney Lee and a future draft pick. Other teams the Rockets had been in talks with included Philadelphia and Atlanta.

One factor in trading Asik is his contract, which calls for him to paid over $15 million next season (with a salary cap value of $8.3 million) which might be a bit much for a player who averaged 10 points and 11.7 rebounds in his first year as a starter last season with the Rockets.

The Rockets had been working on a self-imposed deadline of today because players traded after Dec. 20 could still be moved before the February trade deadline.

Asik could still be traded before February if the Rockets find the right mix.